By The Grace Of God
by themindofmine
Summary: The team looks for the baby Kenna delivered when someone takes her from the hospital days before Eliot's sister is set to adopt her.  The whole team has fallen for the infant and will do anything to get her back.
1. Chapter 1

By The Grace Of God

Chapter One

Parker stood between Eliot and Hardison in front of the tall, cold building. They could feel the tension radiating off the young thief.

"Breathe Parker." Eliot whispered.

"Somebody took Grace." She said sadly.

"We'll get her back." Hardison reassured her.

"What if we don't?" Parker questioned.

"We will." Answered Eliot.

They were standing in front of one of Boston's most prestiegest hospitals. Boston General was one of the top hospitals on the eastern seaboard. It was the last place you would have expected to see a hacker, a hitter and a thief on a Sunday afternoon, any afternoon for that matter. They had a job to do. Grace Doe 27631 was missing from the neonatal intensive care unit, the NIC U. She had been taken sometime before dawn.

"Six ways in and out." Hardison said.

"And a million places to hide." Eliot added.

"It's like finding a baby in a haystack." Was Parker's reply. Eliot shook his head.

"So retrieval specialist…" Hardison looked at Eliot. "Retrieve." Eliot turned to the hacker.

"You think that my job is just that easy, don'tcha." He said through clenched teeth.

"Nate and Sophie said they would be back by now." If it was possible Parker tensed up more.

"They said give them an hour." Eliot leaned against the brick retaining wall. Two weeks ago his girlfriend had delivered a baby in a crack house on the east side. They had lost the mother on the way to the hospital but the child had made her way into all of their hearts, especially Parker's. "Kenna should be here soon too." He had left her at the farm to make sure all the security was up and running before she joined them.

"The hospital is on lock down." Hardison said as he checked his notebook.

"Like that means anything to us." Parker answered. Eliot's phone rang.

"Yeah." He answered.

"I got a present in my truck." Kenna said.

"It would be great if it was Gracie."

"Well nothing is that easy. I got six shiny new State Police badges and six blank ID's."

"I think Bananno likes you." He smiled. "You on your way darlin'?"

"Yeah, I should be there in fifteen minutes. Don't start without me." She hung up. As a paramedic with a degree in nursing McKenna Hawks was their best bet to send inside. Eliot knew it was risky. Not only because the hospital was on lock down but because Kenna was nine weeks pregnant with his baby.

"She'll be extra careful." Parker was looking at him now.

"I know." Kenna pulled up behind the retaining wall. She grabbed her bag and got out. Eliot watched her move. She was like no other woman he had ever dated. She wasn't petite or over muscular. Her curves made the way she moved was almost poetic. Her long honey blond hair in a French braid and the jeans she wore were just short of skin tight. Her cowboy boots were dusty and her flannel shirt covered her skin tight tank top that hugged her breasts like nothing he'd ever seen.

"You okay cowboy?" She looked at him with those warm brown eyes.

"Yeah, just thinkin'." He grabbed the bag from her. She wanted to tell him she could get it but she knew it would just end badly, so she smiled.

"Any more news?" Kenna boosted herself on the retaining wall. Eliot planted himself between her legs. She absently played with his hair.

"Nothing. Just a bunch of cops in and out."

"I hope they're not letting any out carrying a bag." She said off handedly.

"I haven't seen one." Eliot answered. Kenna moved her leg back and forth. Something wasn't right. Something didn't make sense.

"Why would someone take Grace when there were at least twelve babies born last night? Twelve healthy babies. Grace still had a ton of problems ahead of her."

"Maybe they thought no one would look for her like they would a healthy baby." Hardison answered.

"Maybe." Eliot leaned back. Kenna had pushed her sunglasses off her head and back onto her face. He couldn't see her eyes but he knew something was going though her head. "I need to get in there." She handed Hardison the Trooper ID's out of her bag. "Do your magic geek boy." Kenna ruffled Hardison hair.

"You got it." He headed toward the van, Parker followed.

"How do you get away with calling him that?" Eliot asked.

"'Cause I say it with love." She leaned over and kissed his cheek. Kenna was in an odd mood. He could feel her tension, much like Parker's but it seemed she wasn't worried about what they might find if they go in looking for the child.

"Talk to me Kenna Shane." He didn't look at her. He kept his eyes on the hospital.

"I keep thinking if someone would take Gracie who has no ties or a family yet, they could take any child. Plan an abduction of a child who has powerful parents..."

"Or one's who have prices on their heads?" Eliot knew where this was going. "Kenna we won't let that happen. Not now, not ten years from now. I would die before I would let someone take our child."

"I'm sure every parent says that." She ran her hands down his arms. "No one says 'My kids going to get abducted and there isn't a damn thing I can do about it.'"

"Now there's the cynical Kenna we know and love." Nate came and stood next to them looking at the hospital. "Let's go to the van and get this party started." Eliot looked at Nate.

"What the hell did you put in your coffee this morning Nate?" Kenna asked. He was overly chipper and that scared the hell out of Eliot.

"Maybe you shouldn't tease the man with a plan." He smiled. Kenna wrapped her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck. Eliot carried her over to where Hardison was pulling up the blue prints for the hospital.

"Where's Sophie?" Parker asked when the three of them got to the van.

"With Jodi and Charlie. I thought they needed a little Devereaux comfort." Nate stood next to Kenna. "Run it Hardison."

"Okay we've got the floor plan for the whole hospital, including the morgue. Twelve floors, a million corridors and vents. All the employee's have had back ground checks and not even a maintenance man has anything more than a misdemeanor."

"Not even drug abuse?" Kenna asked. "I mean there should be some dirty laundry some place."

"A few malpractice law suits pending but nobody in the place is causing any red flags."

"What about volunteers." Eliot asked. "Do they have to go though the same background checks as employees?"

"Almost. If they have any interaction with the pediatric ward and the maternity ward but no volunteers are allowed in the NIC U."

"But they let us in to hold Grace." Parker said.

"Because you were my family." Kenna said. "They let you in because of me." She looked at Nate. "Parker got to hold Grace because we came into see her together."

"Who else came in with you?" Nate asked.

"Eliot, Sophie and Max Benedetti."

"Your partner?" Eliot looked at her.

"Yeah, but he could go up there with or without me."

"Okay, let's put him in the suspect pile and find out where he is." Nate said.

"I'm on it." Hardison stated typing.

"Kenna you take it from the entrances."

"There are six. The front door. The ER ambulance bank. The morgue entrance. Then there is the employee entrance which you have to have an ID to get in and out of. There are cameras at every door. The other two doors are strictly exits. One in the west wing and one in the east."

"So anyone can come in the front door and the emergency entrance?" Nate looked at the plans up on the screens.

"Those are the only two doors that aren't locked. But there's at least a half dozen cameras in the lobby and the emergency room."

"Okay. Tell me about Max." Nate leaned against the van.

"He's married has three kids, boys I think. He's been with the BFD for ten years. I really don't know much more. We talked about sports and work but not much personal stuff." Kenna wished she had been more friendly toward the man.

"His wife had a miscarriage a few weeks ago. A girl." Hardison told them.

"That might be a reason for him to snatch Grace." Kenna looked at the screen that held Max's background. "He wasn't himself the last few weeks but I didn't know why."

"We need to find him." Nate said. Kenna pulled out her phone.

"Max, hi…it's Kenna." She turned and looked at Hardison who was nodded and started tracing the call. "I was wondering if we could have coffee in the morning before our shift." She nodded. "Okay, six fifteen at Starbucks." Kenna hung up.

"He's home." Hardison said.

"So he didn't do it." Kenna was relieved that she wasn't wrong about her partner.

"But there's no record of him leaving after his rig brought in a patient at four forty seven."

"He could have lost his badge in the hospital and it's still there somewhere." Parker added. Nate looked around at the hospital and then his team.

"Let's get Kenna and Eliot in the hospital and we'll go from there." Nate knew that whoever took the child would care for her like she was their own. Anyone who would think about taking a baby as special as Grace had to have some training. This wasn't going to be as easy as he thought it would and it was going to be harder on his team because they all had let the little girl into their hearts. Nate hoped this ended in happily ever after.e'H


	2. Chapter 2

By The Grace Of God

Chapter Two

Nate stood at the van watching Kenna and Eliot approach the hospital. He knew that the two of them together were a pretty invincible team but he wondered how distracted Eliot was, knowing that it wasn't only Kenna's back he needed to watch.

"He's okay with her going in Nate." Hardison said.

"Are you sure?"

"If she was going in alone or with one of us I wouldn't be. He knows he can't stop her from doing what she has to do. It's who she is and he understands that. They went though more then you'll ever know the last few weeks." Nate knew that he wasn't told everything that went on between the two in Paris or in Hawaii. He hoped what he didn't know didn't put them all in danger.

O/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o

Kenna pulled her Boston Fire Department ID out from her pocket and slid it around her neck. The local cops knew her and they knew Eliot and thought he was a cop anyway so if they got stopped he was just bringing her in for questioning. Neither was stopped at the door when they flashed their badges.

"We're in." Eliot said as they headed to the bank of elevators.

"_Okay, go to the NIC U floor and sit tight. Hardison and I are going over the video from the floor last night. Someone looped fifteen minutes in so we're trying to hack though it." Nate answered._

"Okay." Eliot turned off his com as they got into the elevator. "I know you feel it too." Eliot whispered.

"It's almost like there's more to this than meets the eye." She looked up at the video camera in the corner. "This is the most secure hospital I have ever seen short of the phyc ward at Bethesda." Eliot looked at her. He wanted to ask how she knew about the Bethesda phyc ward but that was a story for a different time and place.

"And why Grace." He said looking straight ahead.

"No one claimed her mom's body." Kenna knew Eliot and Nate had paid for the woman's burial at a small cemetery not far from the city.

"That means no one knew who her father was."

"They sent her DNA though the system just in case. Everyone who get arrested now a days and convicted has their DNA on file. No hits other than her moms came up." The elevator stopped and Kenna got out first. There were a dozen or so cops milling around the front desk, including Lieutenant Bananno. Kenna and Eliot turned on their ear buds.

"I'm glad you could make it Ms. Hawks…Detective Spencer." They older man shook their hands. Kenna smiled.

"Anything we can do to find Grace." She answered.

"I assume you've gone over what you could." Eliot looked at the older man.

"Pretty much. Anything you can tell us."

"I think an inside job is out of the question. The nurses have been cleared of any wrong doing other than watching some Spanish soap opera instead of making their rounds." Eliot looked at the cameras at the nurse's desk and facing the small isolated room that Grace had been kept in.

"Someone looped the camera for about fifteen minutes to make their getaway." Eliot told Bananno

"Someone removed her ID bracelet. They had a key because if it was cut the alarm would have sounded." The detective added.

"_Eliot, we have something." Nate said in his ear. "We ran Grace's DNA against public office DNA records." _Eliot excused himself and started walking down the hall.

"And?" He said.

"_Her dad is a cop." Hardison said. "A state trooper by the name of Jason Maloney." Eliot looked around the room. "He's in the hospital but not on the NIC U floor."_

"Find him." Eliot went back to Bananno and Kenna. "Jason Maloney, do you know him?"

"Yeah, he was a rookie about the time I got shot. His training officer is my best friend. He came to visit me a few times at the hospital and Jack brought him to a couple of barbeques. He works mainly the downtown Boston area, undercover mostly. Why?"

"He's Grace's father." Eliot told the older man.

"I saw him here earlier." Bananno reached for his radio. Eliot stopped him.

"We don't want him to know that we know. If he wanted to raise Grace he would have gone though the proper channels. He knew it was a matter of time that her DNA would be checked though a wider group of resources." Eliot looked at Kenna.

"I'll find Jason…you search where they didn't know to." Kenna grabbed her phone and looked at the picture Hardison sent her. Bananno looked at Eliot.

"You got your hands full with that one." Eliot watched Kenna hit the stairs.

"Tell me about it." Eliot turned and started searching under the rocks that the police didn't know about.

0/0/0/0/0/0/0/0/0/0/0/0/0

Nate watched the camera footage again and again but he couldn't put his finger on what was wrong with it other than it looped every fifteen minutes. He just sent two of his people into a con blind. Nate Ford didn't do that…ever.

"_Nate, I found Jason." Kenna said in his ear._

"How does he seem?"

"_Like he's doing a job he doesn't really want to do." _

"Use your charm kiddo and make him tell you what he's done with Grace."

"_I'm on the tenth floor by the nurses' station." Kenna said._

"_I'm on my way Kenna. Just sit tight till I get there." Eliot told her._

"Listen to Eliot Kenna. Just wait till he's on the floor before you confront him."

"_He's looking a little jumpy Eliot. Come down the east stairs and head him off." Kenna said as she made her way toward the man._

"_Kenna stay away from him till I get there." Eliot was running now. He knew that she wasn't going to listen to him if it meant losing Maloney. _

"Slow down Kenna and think it though. He might have just stolen his child and may have done harm to her. Think in through." Nate knew that he had no control over her but he hopped she had learn to trust him enough to listen to him.

o/o/o/o/o/o/o

Kenna stood at the nurse's desk across from where Maloney stood. She watched him and got to know the way he moved in those first few seconds. He was a fighter. Kenna knew the body language. He was always on the defense. Just like Eliot. Ready to pounce at a moment's notice. She saw Eliot come out of the stair well behind the cop. He nodded and Kenna made her way around the desk.

"_Just think of a place where you would have crossed paths."_

"Jason Maloney?" She asked. "Is that you?" Kenna put on the southern charm.

"Do I know you?"

"Kenna…Kenna Hawks." She touched his shoulder. "We met at the Bananno's barbeque a few years back."

"Oh, yeah…now I remember. You're his niece or something, right."

"God Daughter. How have you been?" Kenna gave him her best smile.

"Good. I work undercover now."

"Really, well you never called. I was more than a little offended."

"Sorry, I tend to let go a little at those things and I think I might have lost your number." He smiled.

"Well we might have to change that. Give me your phone." He took it out of his pocket and handed it to Kenna. She smiled and did some Hardison magic before she entered her back up cell number into his phone.

"_I got it Kenna…good work." Hardison said._

"You're a medic right?" He asked her.

"Yeah."

"You delivered the baby that's missing?"

"Yeah." She touched his hand. "How did you know?"

"I heard your name when they nurses were talking. Do you know what happened to her mother?"

"A private party paid to bury her."

"Really."

"Yeah, the same party who started Grace's care fund."

"The baby has a fund?" Kenna smiled.

"Oh yeah. Last I talked to the nurses there was over a quarter of a million dollars in the fund to pay for her medical bills and future care." Kenna could see the wheels turning in the man's head. She nodded to Eliot. "I got to fill out some more paper work. Call me." She kissed his cheek. Eliot slipped a tracking device in the man's wallet and put it back in his pocket. They let the man leave.

"He didn't know about the fund." Kenna stood next to Eliot.

"Now that he does?" Eliot questioned.

"If he hurt Grace he's going to head for the hills. If she's alive he's headed to get her back." Kenna got her phone that Hardison had connected to the GPS that Eliot had planted in Maloney's wallet. "Let's go find your niece." Kenna smiled. Eliot knew that Kenna was putting too much faith in it being Jason Maloney.

"Kenna." Eliot stopped her. "You know we might not find what we want if we follow Maloney?"

"Yeah, I know." She touched his cheek. "I'm still the cynical girl you fell in love with." Kenna turned and headed to the elevator. Eliot followed her.

"That's my girl." He said under his breath. They waited for the elevator.

"Hardison, find Maloney in all security footage and find out when he got here." Kenna asked.

"_Already on it."_

"You're the man Alec." The elevator opened.

"Don't make his head swell anymore than it already is." Eliot pushed the lobby button.

"Everyone needs a pat on the back once in awhile." She smiled.

"Where's my pat on the back?"

"You got your pat last night in the barn." Kenna laughed.

"_OVERSHARING!" Three voices echoed though their ear buds._


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: It's been awhile so I should say this; I own nothing but the characters I create because if I did I would be rich and famous. To all my readers I try my best to do what is right by these characters but sometime fate intervenes and their lives may spin out of control but I promise I believe in happily ever after and most of the time it ends up that way. To Charleymom…thanks for sticking by me. It helps knowing at least one person gets me!

O/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/

By The Grace Of God

Chapter Three

Eliot stood back watching Jason Maloney talk to an ER nurse. He felt Kenna tense next to him and wondered if she was thinking the same thing he was? Was this nurse in on taking Grace or were they just friends?

"She might be his sister." Kenna leaned back against him. "Her name is Samantha Maloney." She whispered.

"Hardison, check her out." Eliot said. He felt Kenna relax a little bit against him. He instinctively put his arms around her.

"_You got it. I got the footage on Maloney coming into the hospital. He came in with your friend Max. The patient they brought in was a junkie that OD'd in the same building Grace's mom did."_

"Maybe that's where Maloney was. Looking for his pregnant junkie girlfriend and he stumbles on an OD, calls the medics, Max tells him that he and Kenna scooped up a woman in labor…"

"Maloney puts two and two together." Kenna finished.

"We just need to know why Max's ID never made it out of the building."

"_Is Maloney next to the ER doors?" Hardison asked._

"Yeah, right by the ambulance bay." Kenna answered.

"_Our boy has Max's ID. It just checked him out of the ER."_

"So he's going to frame Max for the kidnapping?" Kenna looked at Eliot.

"Maybe that was his plan." Eliot watched the nurse and the cop talking. "The conversation looks a little intense." Kenna took a step forward.

"Hardison, can you zoom in on their conversation and send it to my phone?" Kenna asked.

"_You got in fifteen seconds." Hardison answered._

"What are you going to do?" Eliot looked at the two standing by the door.

"Did you think all the Army did was taught me how to kill and steal?" Kenna raised her eyebrows. She watched the conversation from the phone. "I learned how to read lips when an IAD went off a little too close to my personal space." Eliot stared at her. The more she talked the more he realized how much he still didn't know about her. "He wants to know what they should do. I can't tell what she's saying but he's saying that it would be worth it to claim her. Maybe it's Samantha that is going to set up Max."

"Guess he thought being a crack addicts baby daddy wasn't going to look good in his resume." Eliot watched the cop.

"_Now, knowing she's got a trust fund building he's having second thoughts." Nate said. _

"She won't tell him anymore…he keeps telling her to let him in on it but she's not budging."

"Maybe she took her and is hiding her to protect him." Eliot wanted to just go over there and shake them both.

"Stay, big guy." Kenna must have felt him tense because she laid a hand on his shoulder and leaned against him. "Think it though." She whispered. Back at the van Nate had to smile. She did trust him. And she did listen to him when he had something to say.

"They know something." Eliot said.

"They also can bolt in a heartbeat." Kenna saw that Maloney was walking away. "You stick to him. I'm going to go see if some girl talk can loosen her lips."

"_Kenna you might want to know that she is not his sister. Samantha is his wife." Hardison told her._

"Great. Woman scorned and all that." Kenna looked at the woman. "Bastard took my phone number too."

"I hacked into her medical records and they have been trying to have a baby for over a year. Neither one of them has any physical reason why they're not conceiving."

"So they steal the crack addict's baby. Try to explain that at Christmas." Eliot said. "Be careful Kenna. You know an angry woman can turn on you at a moment's notice."

"You would know better than I sweetheart." Kenna smiled and winked and headed over to see what she could get from Samantha and Eliot followed her husband. "Hey, Sam, what's up?"

"Kenna? What are you doing here?" The nurse looked surprised.

"They brought me in to see if I could tell them anything about who might have taken Grace."

"You've really become attached to that kid." Samantha's body language told her a hell of a lot more than her words were.

"Grace is all alone in the world. Somebody needs to be on her side." Kenna knew that if she used the child's name it would make Samantha think of her as a person.

"Do you really think they will find her?"

"_Choose your words carefully Kenna." Nate said._

"I think whoever took her needs to know that she's got a really great family waiting for her and that if they brought her back now they would go easy on them."

"You really think that?" The woman crossed her harms over her chest.

"I know the man heading up the investigation and I know all he wants is this baby back safe and sound." Kenna smiled. "I have to go. It was nice seeing you again Sam." Kenna walked away and started looking for anywhere the woman might have hid a two week old baby going through withdrawals.

o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o

Eliot followed Maloney up to the roof. The man was tense and he couldn't stop pacing. If Eliot knew one thing, it was this man was guilty of something.

"Nate, Maloney is acting strange. He's on the roof, pacing back and forth."

"_Go talk to him…use your charm and see what you can get out of him. We don't want to scare him away."_

"Charm, Nate?"

"_Okay please don't hang the son of a bitch over the edge to get him to talk, that's all I'm asking." Nate took a deep breath. _Eliot took a step from behind the wall and made it look like he was checking air vents.

"Hey man." Eliot stood as close to Maloney as he thought he should get.

"Hey." Maloney didn't look at him.

"You okay?" Eliot took a few steps forward. "You look like you just lost your best friend." Maloney saw the badge hanging around Eliot's neck.

"You from around here?"

"Naw, my CO sent me down here. It was my day off so he thought you might need some extra bodies with this kid missing and all."

"So you came on your day off?"

"Hell yeah. A kid goes missing in a secure place like this gives you the willies." Eliot faked a shiver.

"You have kids?" Eliot looked at the man. He wasn't one to open up, he could see that.

"One on the way." Eliot answered softly. "Guess having it at this place is out of the question."

"Did you want the baby?" Maloney asked. Eliot didn't know how far he should go knowing Kenna and everyone else was listening.

"I do now. That's all that matters right?"

"So then at some time since you found out you thought about…not having it?" The anger that was boiling in Eliot was threatening to come to the surface.

"_Just tell him cowboy." Kenna's voice said softly in his head. "He'll know if you lie."_

"Yeah. This is a tough life. Late nights, guys you put away hunting you down. It's gets kind of dangerous."

"Did you want to walk away?"

"Hell yeah, but then I knew I couldn't live with myself if I just left and didn't find out what might been. Man, me and my old lady fight like there's no tomorrow but in the end I couldn't see my life without her…them."

"What if you didn't love the mother?" Eliot leaned against the edge of the building.

"You trying to tell me something son?" Maloney looked out over the city.

"I…the kid that's missing…I might... be her father."

"Did you have something to do with her going missing?" Maloney looked at him.

"No. I did tell my wife and she thinks I might lose my job over it."

"You banged a crack whore. No harm in that. Except you told your wife."

"Yeah." Eliot wondered why the stranger was telling him all this. "I think she took her and I'm afraid she might…hurt her."

"Why are you telling me all this?"

"Because…I needed to tell someone and you're the only other person here." Eliot looked at the younger man standing next to him.

"You need to get her to tell you what she did with Grace." Maloney turned and looked at him. "She has a family waitin' on her. A good, decent family detective."

"She won't tell me."

"Then let me ask her." Eliot stood up.

"Why do you think she'll tell you?"

"Because I will throw her ass in jail till hell freezes over if she doesn't." The man looked at Eliot. He could see the man was more afraid of his wife than he was of Eliot.

"Samantha wants a baby so bad. She cries herself to sleep at night."

"Grace isn't hers. She might be yours but that doesn't give your wife the right to take her from the one place she was safe." Eliot put his hand on the man's shoulder. "Help us find her and maybe we can figure the rest out, together." Maloney looked at him. "She needs to come home."

"Okay. Tell me what to do?"

"Sit tight." Eliot walked a few feet away. "Tell me one of you has a plan."

"_Meet Kenna down in the lobby. We can use his attraction to her to loosen him up a bit and maybe rattle the wife's cage."_

"You better be right Nate." Eliot didn't like using Kenna as anyone's attraction.

"_Just keep your cool Eliot and it will all work it out." Nate looked at Hardison, knowing it might be harder than they thought it would._

"Hey, let's go." Eliot told Maloney. "My names Clark, Spencer Clark."

"Jason Maloney." They went to the steps. Kenna was waiting for them by the twelfth floor elevators. "Kenna?"

"Hey Jason." She looked at the two men. "Let's get this party started and find Grace before it's too late." Pressing the down button her fingers grazed Eliot's. He looked at her. Nodded he reassured her that he would be on his best behavior. The elevator opened and Kenna and Jason got in. Eliot held back a second.

"What's the plan?" Eliot said to Nate.

"_Make her tell you what you need to know."_

"Easier said than done." Eliot said under his breath as he entered the elevator. He turned his back to Kenna and looked at Jason. "You have to lie to her face. Are you ready for that?"

"If it means getting the baby back into a safe environment I'll do it." Eliot nodded and hoped the man was ready to for the fight of his life because Samantha seemed like the kind of woman who would hit first and ask questions later.

"Okay, when we get downstairs Jason, you need to make her tell you what she did with Grace." Kenna said from behind him with her hand on his shoulder. "Just stand up to her and tell her that you need to know where she took Grace."

"You really think this is going to work?" He turned and looked at her. "How did you know what we we're going to do?"

"I talked to Sam earlier. She was acting strange."

"You know my wife?"

"I'm a paramedic. I met her in the ER." The door opened. This was do or die. Kenna looked up to see Nate standing next to Samantha. Eliot looked around the room. Something wasn't right. Eliot grabbed Jason and pulled him back in the elevator, shoving Kenna against the wall as he pushed the close door button. The doors closed just as the first bullets hit the metal.


	4. Chapter 4

By The Grace Of God

Chapter Four

"What the hell's going on down there Nate?" Eliot screamed. The silence wasn't good.

"Eliot?" Kenna stood behind Maloney.  
"I don't know." He looked at her. "Hardison?"

"_Yeah…Nate went in to back you up and all hell broke loose. I think he lost his ear bud in the tussle." Hardison took a deep breath. "I'll send you the footage. I got a few minutes and then it went black." _

"We're going up to the NIC U and find Bananno." Eliot motioned to Kenna, she handed him her phone. Maloney was on the ground.

"Jason?"

"I'm okay, it just grazed me." Eliot looked at the detective.

"Kenna…are you okay?" He looked at her.

"Yeah, you pushed me out of the way." She looked at him. "How about you?" Kenna gave him the once over.

"I'm good." Eliot watched the footage of the ER bank. Three gun men came in right after Nate. There were only a few nurses and doctors and about five uniformed officers milling around the lobby of the ER. "This is making less and less sense."

"Do you think this has something to do with Grace?" Kenna asked.

"Maybe it started out that way." The doors opened and Bananno stood at the nurse's desk.

"What the hell is going on down there?"

"Three men with semi automatics took over the ER. Nate's down there but I don't how or why. My tech guy sent us the footage of the takeover before the camera's shut down." Eliot handed the phone to Bananno.

"_Guys, the elevators are shut down and the stair wells locked themselves down." Hardison informed them._

"Can you get them back?" Eliot asked.

"_I'm trying. You want me to send Parker in?"_

"No! The three of us trapped in her is bad enough. Find out who those men are Hardison."

"_Doing my best, hang tight."_

"So we're trapped?" Bananno asked.

"For now. How many people do you think are here?"

"Two hundred employee's about a hundred cops give or take." The lieutenant looked at Kenna and Eliot. "They have Ford?"

"That's the way it looked. But one thing 'bout Nate is that he can talk his way out of a paper bag if he had to." Eliot looked around. "I'm still thinking this had nothing to do with Grace." Kenna shook her head.

"Not her but maybe the money."

"You really think someone kidnapped her for her medical fund?" Jason asked. Eliot and Kenna already know what people did for money and kidnapping a sick child wasn't even the worst thing they ever heard about.

"I think we better get to the bottom of this before the whole hospital goes crazy and we have a riot on our hands." Eliot looked at the people milling around the area.

"I'll radio the floors and make sure everyone stays put and doesn't try to leave." Eliot was pretty sure Bananno didn't know how to handle this any more than he did "All electronics are down, including cells and my radios."

"_Eliot." Nate's voice came though the com._

"What the hell is going on?"

"_Check with Bananno and see if there's some VIP in the hospital. Someone German, possibly a Polish diplomat."_

"Hardison can check it out to."

"_I don't think so. It seems something's up but it's all very hush, hush."_

"Can you give me anything to work with?"

"_Three men armed to the teeth. They're defiantly talking German. I can make out bits and pieces but_ nothing _concrete_."_ Nate knew that he could only stay hidden for so long. "Keep me in the loop. I gotta go." Eliot looked at Kenna. She came up next to him._

"You still don't think this is about Grace, do you?" Kenna asked.

"You heard Nate. Something bigger is going down." He went to Bananno. "Do you know if there is some kind of German VIP at the hospital?"

"No, I think I would have been told when we started looking for the baby." Eliot saw movement from behind Kenna he took a step forward but it was too late. Jason was behind Kenna with a gun pointed to her head.

"Oh man, that is not a good idea." Eliot looked Kenna in the eyes. "You don't want to mess with her Jason."

"I need to get out of here, now." Bananno went for his gun. Eliot put his hand up.

"Jason, come on. We're all in the same boat here. We all want to get out of here and find Gracie and go home." Kenna swallowed hard. "I'm telling you son, back off."

"I'm leaving." He started dragging Kenna backward with the gun still at her head.

"There's no place to run Jason." The detective grabbed a key card and slid it through the reader and pulled Kenna through the door.

"Son of a bitch." Eliot headed to the door. "Kenna, kick his ass and get back here."

"_Where are you taking me Jason?"_

"Kenna don't do this. He's ready to derail woman, now is not the time to play hero." Eliot tried the door that had just slammed shut.

"_Jason, come on please. You don't want to do this."_

"Stop whining bitch." The sound of the hammer being pulled back echoed in her ear…and Eliot's.

"Hardison open the damn doors, NOW!"

o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o

Kenna, being Kenna couldn't let the man push her around but the closer she got to the truth about what Jason and Samantha were up to the better. Nate knew those men downstairs were cops, so did Eliot. The masks didn't hide it.

"Talk to me Jason. I can help you. Bananno can help you." Maloney pulled her down the steps to the next landing,

"Some paramedic bitch can't help me." Kenna closed her eyes.

"You need to chill Jason…this can only end badly for you."

"Who says?" Kenna hit the instep of his foot and grabbed the gun, using her elbow right between his eyes.

"Says me." She turned the gun on him just as Eliot plowed through the door Hardison had somehow opened. "Now tell me what the hell is going on downstairs before I stop being nice." Eliot came up behind her.

"Kenna put the gun down."

"Eliot sometimes holding the gun get's better results." She didn't take her eyes or the gun off Maloney.

"I know that darlin', but the way you feel right now makes you holding the gun not a good idea." Eliot put his hand on hers and took the gun, handing to Bananno. "Now you know how to make him talk without that thing, I know you do." Kenna pushed the man up against the wall.

"What the hell is going on down there and remember I'm the good cop in this scenario so if you feel I have to bring the bad cop in, you're going to end up in more pain than one man should ever be in, so choose your words wisely detective." The man looked at Kenna and then Eliot. Bananno was already backing out the door and on the NIC U floor.

"Sam knew about the money. She figured whoever set up the fund would pay to get her back safely."

"What about the men downstairs?" Eliot asked.

"Friends. To make it look good. They aren't going to hurt anyone."

"Grace is hurting Maloney. Every minute she's not in that incubator her body temperature is going down. It's been four hours. Four hours without the meds she needs to fight the withdrawal." Kenna pressed him harder against the wall. "Where is she?"

"I don't know. Sam took her. She won't tell me where the hell she brought her." Kenna pressed harder against his throat. "She won't tell me." He gasped.

"I think he's telling the truth Kenna." Eliot leaned against the wall.

"What's the rest of the plan?"

"Get the money from the fund and we walk away clean. Grace gets to go home with her new family."

"You know that all you had to do was tell them you were her father and you would have access to the whole account."

"I didn't want the kid and Sam knew the money would help us have kids of our own." Kenna backed away and let the man slide down the wall.

"Finnish it Eliot." She started walking down the steps and Eliot punched Maloney so hard he fell to the floor. "Grace has got to be in the ER so Samantha can keep an eye on her." Eliot followed her down the steps. Parker was waiting for them at the ER floor.

"I thought I told you to stay put." Eliot said through clenched teeth.

"I want to help Eliot." He looked at the two women in front of him.

"So help me God if this goes south I want the two of you to hall ass out of here and don't look back." Eliot knew neither one of them would listen to him. That's just the way they were. "Nate can you talk?"

"_I got a minute."_

"Fill us in. Hardison, I need eyes in there."

"_I'm working on it." Hardison said. "You all are lucky the coms are working. Whatever these guys are using is scrambling every damn thing."_

"_Everyone okay?" Nate asked._

"Yeah, we're all good. Parker joined the party." Eliot glared at the thief. "Did you get Maloney's confession?"

"_Yeah, but Samantha Maloney isn't running this crew. She's as scared as the rest of the people here."_

"So we have to figure out if there is something else going on." Eliot ran his fingers though his hair. "Nate rattle Samantha's cage and find out where is Grace is. We get her back the rest of this will be a cake walk."

"I'll work on her; you work on getting taking these guys down and getting us all out of here."

"Yeah, okay Nate I'll get right on taking down three armed men in a room full of armed men. How's that working by the way….did they take the guns off the cops?"

"_Yeah, they had a couple of nurses' hostages when they came in."_

"Where are those nurses?" Kenna asked.

"_I don't know."_

"They might have some answers." Kenna took a deep breath, "Let's figure this thing out before it's too late." Eliot and Parker both nodded. This thing was going downhill fast and unless they figured it out soon, nobody was going home.


	5. Chapter 5

Thank you for all your Input and support. As always Charleymom, thank you. You keep me from falling into writers block oblivion.

By The Grace Of God

Chapter Five

The thief, the hitter and the paramedic stood in the stairwell. It wasn't like they didn't have a million ideas on how this thing would go down but none of them were practical or very safe for them or the people being held in the ER.

"Parker, go up stairs and tell Bonanno that we need to evacuate the building. Have him go floor by floor and take everyone down the back stairs. There's a blind spot by the east wing stair well." Eliot looked at the thief. "And tie Maloney up on your way." Parker nodded. "When you get back we're going to search for Grace." Parker turned around and bounded up the steps.

"What are you thinking Eliot?" Kenna leaned against the wall. He looked at her. This was as tight it got when it came to a job. Gunmen and kidnappers aside Eliot new this was going to be one impossible retrieval.

"I'm thinking that I need to think out of the box on this one." He took a deep breath. Kenna wasn't sure but she thought Eliot might be holding back.

"No secrets." She whispered. Eliot pulled her in into her arms.

"I don't want to screw this up."

"You won't." Kenna laid her head on his chest.

"That's one thing I missed after I left Kentucky."

"My charm?" She smiled.

"Your faith in me." He whispered. She pushed away from him and looked him in the eye.

"I never lost faith Eliot. Not then, not now." She kissed his cheek. Parker came down the steps.

"Let's go find Gracie." Eliot said, a little choked up. "How did you get in Parker?" She pointed to the air vent between the first and second floor.

"For a hospital the vents are really not so clean." She sat on the step. "I can get into the ER and scope it out."

"Between you and Nate we can find Grace and get her out of this mess." Kenna looked at the stress lines forming on Eliot's face.

"I'll go with her." Eliot turned to her.

"The hell you will." The anger in his voice was evident.

"You need more eyes in there Eliot."

"I don't need my pregnant girlfriend put in the line of fire." The anger was evident in his voice.

"Your pregnant girlfriend can take care of herself Eliot." Kenna returned.

"_Now is not the time." Nate said to them. "Work this out later."_

"I'm not letting her go in there Nate."

"_We need the extra help. The two nurses and the three gunmen are together. This wasn't Samantha Maloney's plan. I think the girl is somewhere near the west corridor. She keeps glancing over there."_

"I'm not sending her in there Nate."

"_Send her in or send her out, your call just get in here and get that baby out." Eliot looked at Kenna. He knew she would fight him on this no matter what._

"Okay, we all go in." Parker looked at Eliot.

"You're going into a vent?"

"Yeah, I'm going into a vent. You have a problem with that?" Parker looked him up and down.

"You might not fit." Eliot glared at the thief.

"I'll fit. Now move your ass and let's find Grace." Parker effortless pulled herself up into the vent. Kenna went to boost herself up. Eliot moved to help her but she pushed him off.

"I can do it." She boosted herself up almost as gracefully as Parker. Kenna slid herself into the vent. Parker was sitting cross legged in the vent waiting for her.

"You two have to stop fighting Kenna."

"Yeah well you know that ain't happening." Kenna moved deeper in the vent to let Eliot in. "Find us a safe exit so we can get the hell out of here."

"You don't like closed spaces either?" Parker asked. Kenna looked at the beads of sweat building on Eliot's forehead.

"I'm fine with them." She said with little emotion. Parker nodded knowingly and headed to find the path of least resistance.

o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o

"You okay?" Kenna asked Eliot.

"I'm fine." He grumbled.

"Just take deep breaths." She soothed.

"I'm fine Kenna." Eliot ground out.

"I sat outside that woodshed all night." Kenna didn't look at him. "If I would have heard one sound that made me think you weren't strong enough to make it though that night I would of broken that door down and yanked you out."

"You were there?" He looked at her. She was leaning against the vent, eyes closed.

"Yeah, it's a wonder you didn't hear my teeth chattering. I got so cold." She shivered remembering how cold she had been.

"You sat out there the whole night?"

"Till just before sunrise. I heard you grumbling around in the shed so I went back to Jodi's room."

"You got pneumonia the next weekend." She had been so sick. His mom wouldn't let either him or Jodi into the room but he sat by her door for hours reading her the Little House on the Prairie books she loved so much.

"You read to me for hours." She smiled. "You got so mad when Mary lost her vision and Laura married Almozo." Eliot chuckled.

"I really thought Laura was the girl of my dreams." Kenna opened her eyes and looked at him. "It turns out the girl I was reading to was." There was something in his eyes that Kenna hadn't seen in a long time. Longing. Longing for those kids they used to be, carefree and fearless.

"I'll be careful Eliot. The first sign of trouble I will duck and run." He knew it wasn't in her nature. He knew that Kenna couldn't run from a fight anymore than he could. Especially a fight that involved a child. Parker popped her head around the corner.

"You guys ready?" She looked at them.

"Yeah Parker, let's get Gracie and go home." Eliot said and they followed Parker to the safe exit.

"I waited five minutes and no one came back here. I can hear voices but they're muffled." She said as she opened the vent. "I couldn't make it out but I think Nate was right they are talking German but it's really butchered German." They exited the vent and tried to get a hold of Nate with no luck. "Whatever they have that is scrambling the radios must be close because you guys cut out on me after the first corner I took. That's why I came back for you instead of just calling you.

"Hardison?" Eliot tried the hacker. "We're going in blind if we can't get Hardison back."

"Maybe if we move away from this area." Kenna suggested. The three snuck behind what looked like a big X-ray machine. The static stopped and they could hear Hardison swearing.

"Hardison?"

"_Eliot, thank God I was really getting worried."_

"Did you send me the latest footage?"

"_Yeah, I still haven't got Nate back online but something is really messing with the relay in there."_

"Okay tell us the minute you hear or see anything from him." Eliot looked at the footage that Hardison had sent him. "Definitely cops. But more are involved than the three that came in." He pointed to two men sitting on the floor across from Nate. "These two for sure…and one behind the desk."

"So we don't know who's on our side and who's on theirs?" Parker didn't like those odds.

"The only one on our team for sure is Nate." Eliot looked at the two women in front of him. "We need to spread out. Watch your backs and take out anyone and everyone." He touched Kenna's shoulder. "Meet back here." The three went their separate ways all hoping they would connect with Nate soon.

0/0/0/0/0/0/0/0/0/0/

Nate sat next to Samantha Maloney. He watched the way she kept looking toward the west side of the ER.

"This wasn't your plan, was it?" He asked her.

"What are you talking about?"

"When you had the plan to steal Grace? You didn't plan on someone else coming in."

"Who are you?" She asked.

"I'm someone who wants to help Grace. I have a team in the hospital and all they want to bring her safely back to the NIC U."

"It wasn't supposed to turn out this way."

"Then turn in around Samantha." Nate looked at the woman, touching her shoulder. "Tell me where Grace is." He didn't hear the footsteps behind him, he just felt the pain radiate though his head as the butt of the gun came crashing down.

0/0/0/0/0/0/0/0/0/

Kenna stood behind the curtain across from the cubical that Nate and Samantha were being held in. She had pushed herself against the wall. Swallowing hard she closed her eyes. She just wanted to pounce on the man that had just hit Nate but he had seen her just before his world went black and his eyes told her to stay put.

"He was just talking damn it." Samantha looked at the man with the gun. "Damn it just take what you want and leave."

"Eliot?" Kenna whispered.

"_Yeah."_

"Samantha knows what they want. She's not in on it. Nate's down."

"_How bad?"_

"Gun butt to the back of the head. He'll be out for at least an hour." Kenna took the knife out of her boot.

"_You need to get to Samantha." Eliot said though clenched teeth. Nate needed them but Gracie needed them more._

"Already on it." Kenna slid against the wall and ducked when she got to the bank of widows. She peeked over the edge. "West side of the ER Eliot. There's a janitors closet and a supply closet. Check them."

"_How do you know?"_

"Nate told me." She looked over the ledge. Nate was sprawled out and Samantha was cleaning his wound. "I'm almost to Samantha and Nate." Kenna heard footsteps behind her. She flung out her foot tripping the man. He fell hitting his head on an exam table with a quiet thunk. She stood and went around the corner.

"Samantha!" Kenna hissed out. The woman looked up.

"Kenna?"

"How is he?" She pointed to Nate.

"Breathing." Samantha was shaking. "Get me out of here Kenna."

"Sit tight. How many men?"

"I don't know. Five, maybe six." Kenna slid an ice pack for Nate's head across the floor.

"What are they here for?"

"Drug shipment. The hospital is getting rid of about a million dollars worth of nearly expired narcotics next week. They stored it in a room in back somewhere." Kenna watched the men move in the other room. "Come with me." Samantha shook her head.

"I can't leave him." She looked at Kenna. "He just wanted to help."

"_Kenna, I got Gracie. Meet us back at the vent."Eliot said._

"Sam, come on. I'll send someone back for him. Grace is safe." Samantha nodded. She put the ice pack on Nate's wound and went with Kenna. They both stood. A man dressed in black with a ski mask came around the corner.

"Going somewhere ladies?" Kenna looked up. She could see the hallway that would take them to safety. The man raised his gun and Kenna pushed Samantha behind her. She told Eliot that the first sign of trouble she would duck and run. Running wasn't an option and ducking…well that would put someone else in danger.

"You might want to turn around." Kenna said softly. The man laughed.

"You must think I'm an idiot." He shook his head.

"Not really. Just a dead man." Kenna pulled the nurse to the left as Eliot clothes lined the gun man.

"Run." The two women headed for the stair well and Eliot headed into to rescue Nate.


	6. Chapter 6

By The Grace Of God

Chapter Six

Parker was waiting for Kenna and Samantha at the air vent with Grace.

"Hop up there and I'll hand you Grace." She said.

"I should go help Eliot." Parker shook her head.

"You promised him you would stay out of the line of fire."

"Parker, he needs help."

"You can't go in there. You and Samantha have to get Gracie back to the NIC U." The thief motioned to the vent. "Get up there and I'll hand her up to you." Kenna looked at Parker and weighed her options. If she just left the thief wouldn't follow her but she would probably never talk to her again.

"You win." Kenna boosted herself up into the vent and took Grace from Parker. The thief helped Samantha into the entrance and then closed the grate.

"Stay safe. We'll be back soon." Parker took off and Kenna, Samantha and baby Grace headed though the vent.

o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/

Eliot stood next to Nate, havening bound and gagged the three men that he and Kenna had taken out. Nate was starting to come to.

"Take it easy man." Eliot helped him sit up.

"Grace?" Nate croaked.

"She's fine. Kenna and Samantha took her to the NIC U." Eliot put the ice pack back onto Nate's head. "We took down three. Did you figure how many more?"

"At least three, plus the nurses." Nate looked at Eliot. "Did you find out what they're looking for?"

"There's a shipment of narcotics that's set to be destroyed. The nurses told their boyfriends and they planned to get them out but Samantha took Grace and set the hospital on lock down."

"I guess they couldn't change their plan so they charged in."

"I'm going to get Parker to get you out though the vent."

"You need to take the rest of drug guys out."

"I will, after you get your ass out of here." Eliot ground out. "I got the psycho nurse, the baby and the pregnant girlfriend out now it's your turn."

"Are you clumping me into the helpless woman category Eliot?"

"No, I just want to get you all back in one piece." Parker popped up behind the partition.

"What's up?" She smiled.

"Get Nate up though the vent and take him upstairs. I'm going to clear things up down here. Call Bananno and make sure he's waiting outside the ER doors."

"Okay, come on Nate." Parker and Eliot helped Nate to his feet and got him to the air vent that would take him out of the ER and into the stair well.

"Just leave me here. There is no way I can get up there even if you boost me up." Eliot looked at Nate. He didn't want to leave the older man there but he knew it was the smart thing to do.

"This is a dead spot for the coms, are you sure you don't want me to drag you up there." Eliot pointed to the vent.

"No. Just clear the room and let's get home." Nate swallowed and closed his eyes. Eliot took the gun he had taken from the last gun man. "Keep's safe."

"You too." Eliot and Parker took off.

o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o

Kenna stood with Samantha at the incubator.

"You could have killed her." Kenna said. She was tired and a little scared what was going on downstairs.

"I had her meds and I was keeping her warm." The doctor Bananno had sent up was taking care of the baby.

"You took her from a safe environment and put in the line of fire."

"I didn't know. I had Jason's friends to run the money. They never showed up."

"We'll your still going away for a long time. You and Jason. I have friends in high places, lady." Samantha looked at her.

"Jason didn't want to do it. He wanted to sign the papers so she could find a good home." Kenna looked at the woman. "It was me."

"Then tell Bananno." Kenna pleaded.

"I will." The sound of gun fire from the stair well made Kenna turn. Her breath caught in her throat.

"Go. I won't run." Samantha said.

"If you do I will find you." Kenna turned and ran to the stairs.

0/0/0/0/0/0/0/0/0

"Eliot?"

"I'm fine, Kenna. Where are you?"

"With Nate."

"Why are you down here?" Eliot growled.

"Nate needed me."

"His com isn't working." He shouted.

"His gun is." Kenna answered. Eliot came back to where he left Nate and found a man with a bullet in his shoulder.

"The lobby's clear. Bananno is cleaning up the mess and I sent Parker packing." Eliot looked at Kenna. "You don't listen very well Kenna Shane."

"You're now figuring this out." She helped Nate up. "How's the head?"

"Not so good." Nate answered.

"Let's get you stitched up and get you home."

"Bananno isn't going to like that I shot someone. It was a pretty awesome shot, though." Kenna looked at Eliot.

"Maybe we better get him more than a few stitches." Eliot said as they helped Nate into the ER.

0/0/0/0/0/0/0/0/0/0/0/0

Kenna sat with Parker in the waiting room of the hospital. Eliot and Hardison had gone to get Sophie, Jodi and Charlie from the farm.

"Is Nate going to be okay?"

"Yeah, Parker. He's going to be fine. He's got a concussion. Nothing we all haven't suffered before." Kenna put her arm around the thief. "I promise he'll be fine."

"Maybe I should go down to the vending machine and get him some coco."

"Why don't you wait till he gets home and make it with milk."

"Yeah, it's better that way." Kenna smiled.

"How are you doing?"

"A few bruises here and there. You?"

"I'm good. I got a doctor's appointment tomorrow."

"For what? Is the baby okay…Kenna I knew you shouldn't have come back though that vent."

"Parker calm down. I'm fine. It's my first check up, that's all."

"Don't scare me like that." Kenna hugged Parker.

"Sorry. No more surprises. At least not tonight." Eliot, Sophie and Hardison came down the hall.

"Here come the troops."

"Eliot looks really pissed. Are you guys going to fight again?"

"I can't lie to you. Yes Parker…me and Eliot are going to fight…again." Kenna stood up.

"I think I'll go see Nate." Parker stood up and headed in the opposite direction.

"Where's the crazy chick going?" Eliot asked. He glared at Kenna. Hardison and Sophie headed for Nate's room.

"Hot chocolate run, I guess." Kenna crossed her arms over her chest. "Jodi and Charlie visiting Grace?"

"Yeah. You and I have to talk." Eliot said though clenched teeth. Bananno came up to them from behind.

"How's Ford?"

"He's going to be okay." Eliot answered.

"Good." The older man looked at the hitter. "Thank you for finding the kid and taking control over this thing quietly."

"You know you can count on us."

"Yeah, I know. Now I owe you two."

"Just keep doing what you're doing." Eliot said. He looked at Kenna. She had gotten quiet and pale. "You okay Kenna?" She shook her head and headed for the bathroom.

"Little late for morning sickness." Bananno smiled.

"Kenna doesn't do anything the normal way." Eliot answered.

"She's a good woman Spencer. Don't let her get away." The cop shook Eliot's hand. "Thank Ford for me, would you."

"You got it." Eliot waited till the man turned and started walking away before he headed to find Kenna. He found her down the hall leaving the ladies room. "Feeling better?" He asked softly. The anger he was feeling when he saw her before, long gone.

"Yeah." She still looked really pale.

"Why don't I take you back to the apartment?"

"Your mom and Kyle are at the house, alone."

"I set the alarm Kenna, they'll be fine." She shook her head.

"I'll be fine to go out to the farm." Kenna looked at him. "I'm sorry about going back for Nate. I heard the gun shot and I reacted."

"Do you know why I'm so good at what I do?" He asked her.

"Because you like beating the crap out of people?" She smiled.

"We'll there's that but it's mostly because I'm always thinking three steps ahead of the game. Sometimes things don't go the way I planned. Most of the time I can predict when things are going to go south. I knew if you were down there and I knew it I would worry more about you than watching my back."

"I'm sorry, it won't happen again." She promised.

"You say that now but Kenna you don't think when your emotions take over."

"I never let that happen…till now." She sat down and put her elbows on her knees and looked down at the floor. "I was cold for a very long time. Pretty much since Simone." She looked at him. "Then you came back into my life." She smiled. "I guess you melted my cold heart."

"Kenna, letting your emotions rule your brain gets you dead." He said angrily. Kenna stopped smiling.

"Well for the next eight months my emotions are going to be all over the place Eliot and I don't know how to go about overriding that." She stood up. "I'll find my own way home." She started to walk away, Eliot grabbed her arm.

"Kenna, I'm sorry." She shrugged him off.

"Just let it go Eliot." Kenna headed down the hall. She wasn't strong enough to fight him tonight. Her truck was parked in the lot down the street but she didn't know if she could make it that far.

0/0/0/0/0/0/0/0/0/

Eliot watched Kenna walk away. He was too angry to talk to her right now. To make her see that he needed to know she was safe. Sophie came down the hall and he knew that she could tell he wasn't in a good place.

"Where's Kenna?"

"She left."

"You let her leave without you?" Sophie looked more than a little concerned.

"She's a big girl Sophie."

"Kenna's had a lot on her plate lately."

"You think I don't know that. She disregarded everything I said today and came back down to the ER."

"To save a friend." Sophie looked at him.

"She still broke a promise to stay out of the line of fire."

"Nate had already shot the man Eliot. The only thing she did was kick the gun out of the man's hand so he didn't shoot Nate." Eliot wanted to tell her she was wrong. That Kenna could have gotten herself killed because she was thinking with her heart and not her head. "Don't let this be the one thing that made you change your mind about the way you wanted things to be."

"It's up to her." He turned and headed down the hall way.

o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/

Kenna slid between the cool sheets. She was tired and she just wanted to sleep. Coming back here wasn't in her plan for tonight but she needed to recharge. There was a time when she thrived on fights with Eliot. Even picked a few just to feel the rush. They had yelled at each other and said some God awful things but in the end they always made up. Always ending it before they ended each other or their relationship. She had cried more in the last week than she had in her whole life and now she wanted it to stop.

"Kenna." She knew he would find her sooner or later but she had been hoping for later.

"Please just leave Eliot." Kenna didn't turn around.

"I just want to talk." He whispered.

"I'm done talking Eliot, I'm done fighting." She felt the mattress sink but she didn't move.

"You're just giving up on us?"

"There was never really any us Eliot…just you and me sharing the same space for a little while."

"Kenna, please." He reached out and touched her shoulder.

"Get out." She pulled away from him. "Please leave."

"I'll come back in the morning. We have an appointment at nine." Kenna felt him get up and knew that he would leave. Tomorrow she wouldn't be here when he came. She would leave this place and Eliot and never look back.

.


	7. Chapter 7

By The Grace Of God

Chapter Seven

Eliot didn't sleep worth a crap and he wasn't in the mood to deal with anyone before he got his coffee. He made his own pot and watched the sunrise on the roof. Kenna needed something from him that he wasn't sure he could give. He would go to the doctor's this morning and then they would figure out what they were going to do.

"I thought I would find you up here." Nate came and sat next to him.

"She kicked me out last night."

"You deserved it, I'm sure." Eliot looked at Nate.

"She came back for you and for that I guess I should be grateful." Eliot answered.

"But she risked everything."

"She risked getting hurt." Eliot ground out.

"How much does she and this baby mean to you Eliot?" Nate asked.

"Everything." Eliot looked out over the city. "We've gone through this chapter a million times. I get mad because she puts her ass on the line and she gets mad because I tell her she needs to back off."

"She doesn't mean to. I think it just happens." Nate chuckled. "Maggie was an emotional nightmare for months. She was yelling at me one minute and crying the next. You know Maggie…she's the least emotional person you know. Kenna is just the opposite. She's hot headed and passionate. She would rather fight it out than talk it out. You knew that going into this thing Eliot so cut the woman a little slack."

"I take it you're not on my side on this one."

"Eliot, I'm not on anyone's side. Just take care of her and make her feel safe." Nate stood up. "Go now before she bolts."

"You think she will run?"

"I think she was scared to death last night when you walked into that room." Nate looked at his hitter. "She needs to know that you respect her passion to jump in and help when needed but for now we need her safe."

"How come you know my girlfriend better than I do sometimes?"

"I just listen a little better than most." Eliot went to leave.

"Thanks for setting me straight Nate. I know I'm not the easiest person to live with most days."

"You were getting almost bearable with Kenna around. I don't want you to have a setback." Nate laughed. Eliot left and headed to save whatever was left of his life with Kenna.

o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o

Kenna lay curled under the blanket. She was more than ready to get on whatever plane, train, or bus out of the city a few hours ago but no she felt sick and it wasn't the kind she had felt last night. She knew it was something more. Something she couldn't put her finger on. Looking at the clock she groaned. Eliot would be here soon and she looked at felt like crap. Not that he hadn't seen her in worse shape. Sitting up she hoped the room would quit spinning. Hearing the lock turn and the door opened she knew she would just have to let Eliot help her whether she liked it or not. He wasn't as far as the living room before Kenna had to bolt and head to the bathroom to empty her stomach. She felt warm hands pull her hair back as she began retching.

"I'm here darlin'." He whispered. Kenna felt like her insides were being ripped out. She wanted to tell him to go away but she didn't have the strength. Feeling him tie her hair back, he reached for a glass of water. "Here you go." Kenna took a sip.

"Thanks." She said hoarsely.

"When was the last time you ate anything?"

"Last night I ate a sandwich but you know where that ended up." She leaned against the tub and closed her eyes.

"Good thing you have a doctor's appointment today."

"Yeah." Was all she said.

"I understand if you don't want me to come with you. I know I was pretty hard on you yesterday and I'm sorry."

"I should have listened to you and stayed put."

"No, you did what you had to do and I get that baby, but you have to think a little more with your head and a little less with your heart when it comes to a job."

"I know, and every time I say this is going to be the last time I help you I end up getting sucked in." Kenna heard him moving around and then felt a cool cloth on her face.

"You want something to eat before we go?" Kenna shook her head.

"Not really." She opened her eyes. "I do need a shower."

"Something I'm really good at." Eliot smiled.

"You know how beautiful your smile is Eliot Spencer. You should do it more often."

"Now I know something's wrong when you start throwing out compliments." Eliot offered Kenna his hand and helped her up.

"Thanks." She turned and started the shower. Stripping, she threw her clothes into the hamper. Kenna stepped into the shower and turned and looked at Eliot. "I was ready to pack my bags and leave last night."

"Why didn't you?" He asked, trying not to let the naked state of the woman standing in front of him affect him too much.

"Because I would miss fighting with you." She let the water cascade down her body. "And I would miss making up with you." She shut the shower curtain and hoped she had said enough to make him realize this is where she wanted…no needed to be. Now and forever.

o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o

Eliot's knee moved up and down nervously as Kenna sat reading a decade old magazine. He was trying really hard not to stand out but the women around her were staring. Really staring. Kenna tried to figure out if it was because he looked like a really hot dock worker today or they were wondering what the really hot dock worker was doing with the pale, frumpy woman next to him. He must have felt her tense because he knee stopped moving and his hand moved to the arm rest next to hers.

"What's wrong?" He leaned over and whispered in her ear.

"Nothing." She lied as she turned the page.

"I should have dressed better." He said softly. Kenna turned and looked at him. He had on jeans and a flannel over a blue t-shirt. The work boots he always wore were newer than what he normally wore. His hair was tucked under a blue wool cap.

"You look fine Eliot. More than fine." She shook her head and went back to her magazine.

"Then why are there ten woman staring at me over there ten year old magazines?"

"You really don't know, do you?"

"Know what?" Kenna laughed.

"I will tell you later." She wondered when Eliot Spencer became as naive as Parker.

"Tell me now Kenna." Kenna turned and looked at him.

"They're wondering what a great looking guy like you could of knocked up a plane Jane like me." Kenna turned back to the magazine she hadn't really been reading for the last fifteen minutes.

"Kenna…" He reached for her hand but the nurse came out and called her name. She stood up and he followed, laying his hand on her lower back. They followed the nurse down the hall and into a small room.

"How are you today Kenna?" The nurse smiled.

"I haven't been feeling to hot?"

"Well we'll see what we can do for you today." The young woman checked Kenna's blood pressure and pulse. Both were a little high. The nurse smiled.

"Never thought seeing the doctor would make you nervous."

"I guess I'm not the hard ass as you thought I was Angie." Kenna said. Her stomach started to churn again.

"I always knew you had a weakness, now I know." Angie finished up. "There's a gown on the table. Dr. Barns will be in shortly." The nurse smiled at Eliot. "She's shaking like a leaf…you might want to convince her that the end is worth the means." The nurse left. Kenna didn't make a move to get undressed.

"You weren't shy about stripping in front of me this morning." He walked in front her. Taking her hand he helped her stand. She looked at him. "Do you know how incredibly sexy you're going to be in that gown?"

"You're insane, you know that?" He slid off her jacket.

"I've been told that more than once." He pulled up her t-shirt and slid it up and over her head. He turned it right side out and folded it and put it on the chair. He unhooked her bra and slid it down her arms.

"You're quite good at that." She smiled.

"Been told that a time or two, also." Kenna looked at Eliot when he turned to hand her the gown.

"You don't need to be here, I mean if you don't want to." He unfolded the gown and slid it on her.

"Why wouldn't I want to be here darlin'?" Eliot turned her around and tied the strings in back.

"I don't know…I just want you to know that I don't expect you to come to everyone of these things." He didn't turn her back around. He reached down and undid her jeans.

"If I'm in town and even if I'm not I will be with you, whether you like it or not. " He slid her jeans just over the curve of her rear end and turned her around and sat her down. "You know you're wrong. Those women out there were wondering why a woman like you would be caught dead with a red neck like me." He pulled off her boots and slid down her jeans. "Kenna Shane I have loved you since I was nine years old and my little sister dragged you home and made you never want to leave. Sure there have been other women since darlin' but none of them held a candle to you." The tears welled up in Kenna's eyes. The butterflies in her stomach started to fly away as Eliot brushed the hair out of her face. "I will always be here for you Kenna…always. Even when you piss me off and I piss you off. We are in this together." He folded her jeans and set them on top of her bra just at the doctor came in. She looked at Eliot and Kenna.

"Everything okay in here?" She asked.

"Yeah." Kenna smiled. "Dr. Barns, this is my boyfriend Eliot." The older woman held out her hand. Eliot shook it.

"Nice to meet you. I got your test back from Hawaii and from the ER. Everything looks good." She looked at her charts. "I don't like your blood pressure but I heard about your ordeal at the hospital yesterday I don't know how it couldn't be a little high. I'll have Angie check it again on your way out."

"Okay." The doctor smiled and patted the table.

"Up you go kiddo." Kenna went and got on the table. Eliot moved to stand next to her.

"Sure you want to be here now?" Kenna asked him.

"There isn't any place I would rather be."

o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o

Kenna stood at the nurses' station, waiting to schedule her next appointment. Eliot stood behind her.

"You okay?" Kenna turned and asked. He leaned over and kissed her.

"Yeah." Kenna smiled and took the card from the nurse. They walked to the elevator and Eliot was still quiet and it was scaring Kenna.

"Eliot, what's wrong?" The door opened and they got in. He looked at her and kissed her again. His hand ran under her hair and pulled her close.

"I love you Kenna Shane." He whispered. Pressing her back against the wall he deepened the kiss. "No matter how much we fight I want you to know I will always love you." Kenna smiled.

"I love you too." Kenna knew that something had brought the two of them together for a reason. Maybe it was God or Buddha or something bigger but they were brought together after years apart and that meant something to both of them. It was going to be a long hard ride but they both knew that they would try and get through it together.


End file.
